Apple corrects 'potentially life-threatening' map that left Australian drivers stranded

Apple has updated its Maps app to correct an error that led Australian police to issue a warning against using the service.

Apple has updated its Maps app to correct an error that led Australian police to issue a warning against using the service.

This week, police in the Australian town of Mildura, Victoria issued a news release saying they've responded to several drivers who found themselves in Murray Sunset National Park after following incorrect directions to the town from Apple's Maps that left them stranded in the semi-arid park, where temperatures can reach 46C and there is no water supply.

"We've had at least four documented cases," senior sergeant Stephen Phelan said on Monday, ahead of Apple's update. "The map puts it at least 70 kilometres (45 miles) from where it should be. We have had people bogged down in Sunset country."

Mildura police, who called the problem a "potentially life-threatening issue," contacted Apple to alert them to the mistake, and advised travellers to use a different mapping service until the issue is resolved.

Apple has since updated the location of Mildura on its mapping service, so that searches for the town point users to the correct place, reports the Guardian.

Apple's new mapping service was launched with iOS 6 in September, but was met by widespread criticism, after it was discovered that landmarks had been relocated, buildings were obscured by cloud and some areas were shown in black and white.

Just a week after it was released, Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a public apology for its mapping service, and advised users to download alternatives such as the Google Maps web app.